These baked chicken meatballs are a delicious, lean and protein packed alternative to beef meatballs and they are coated in the most incredible sticky sauce. The perfect addition to any meal, or just eaten as they are. These super moist and juicy meatballs are also great for weekly meal prep!
These sticky chicken meatballs are so easy to make and, as they are baked rather than fried, they are much healthier too. Simply mix the chicken mince with the egg, breadcrumbs and flavourings and roll into balls and bake.
Then you have the option of making our teriyaki style sauce to coat them in.
This chicken meatball recipe also freezes really well, making them perfect for batch cooking and meal prep.
Looking for more meatball recipes? Try our Sweet and Sour Meatballs or Slow Cooker Meatballs.
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken - Making meatballs with chicken means not only are they still protein packed, but they are much leaner too. Baking them keeps them nice and juicy on the inside, but still with a little bit of crispiness.
- Breadcrumbs - These are important because they absorb the moisture from the meat and trap it inside and prevent the meatballs from getting dry. You can use panko to make them a little crispier.
- Egg - This is used to bind the meatballs. For egg allergies, you can swap it for a flax egg which is made by mixing 1 tablespoon of flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water.
- Soy sauce - We used a light soy sauce.
- Garlic and ginger paste - You can crush garlic and use grated ginger instead, but we find the jar of the combined paste much easier.
- Sesame oil - Use this for an authentic Chinese flavour.
- Honey - You can use maple syrup instead.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make chicken meatballs - Step by step
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
One: Put the chicken mince into a bowl along with the breadcrumbs, egg, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of garlic and ginger paste.
Two: Mix well to combine everything.
Three: Form the chicken mixture into 15 balls and put onto the lined baking sheet.
Four: Put into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
Five: Meanwhile, add the sauce ingredients to a pan. Mix well and heat over a low heat for 3 minutes.
Six: Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and mix well to coat all of the balls.
Top Tip
If you want a really crispy coating, then you can always fry them in a little oil for a couple of minutes before coating them in the sauce. But I am happy to just eat these straight off the baking tray.
Serving suggestions
Because of all the Asian flavours in the sticky sauce, we love serving these meatballs with chicken with some rice. Why not try our Healthy Egg Fried Rice, Coconut Rice, Perfect Microwave Rice or Oven Cooked Rice?
Some greens on the side are also delicious. Try our Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli, Garlic Spring Greens or Roasted Pak Choi.
These chicken meatballs are also really good on top of our Garlic Chilli Noodles.
Variations
We love anything that we can hide some vegetables in and these meatballs are easy to do that with. You can finely chop some spinach and grate some carrot and courgette (zucchini) and mix it in with the meatballs. Be careful not to add too much, otherwise the meatballs won't hold together.
If you don't want to use chicken mince, but still want to keep it lean then you can use turkey instead. Why not try our Turkey Meatball recipe?
You can also cook these in the air fryer if you want. Just follow our recipe for Air Fryer Meatballs.
Storage
Store: Any leftover chicken meatballs can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Once the meatballs have fully baked, allow them to cool. Put them on a lined baking sheet and in the freezer for about 2 hours.
You can then transfer them into a ziplock bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also freeze them uncooked using the previous steps too.
Reheat: Cooked meatballs that have been kept in the fridge can be reheated in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. If you want to reheat frozen cooked meatballs, then there is no need to thaw first.
You can put the frozen cooked meatballs in a baking dish and cook at 200°C for about 20-25 minutes until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can with a few swaps. Make sure the breadcrumbs you are using are gluten free (you could use ground gluten free oats) and that you swap soy sauce for tamari. Make sure there is no cross contamination too.
Firstly, make sure the chicken you are using is not too lean. Secondly, you need to make sure that the chicken meatballs are not not overcooked otherwise they will get dry quickly.
This dish cooks in the air fryer for around 15 minutes, but the exact cooking time will depend on your oven. The best way to ensure that it is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 75°C/167°F at the thickest part of the meat.
Extra tips
• When rolling the meatballs, make sure you don't overwork them otherwise they will become tough. You want to make sure they are just rolled.
• When choosing chicken mince, try to go for the 93% lean rather than 99% lean which will result in dry meatballs.
• If you want to stop the meatballs from sticking to your hands when rolling them, try rubbing a bit of oil on your hands first.
More Asian chicken recipes
If you’ve tried this sticky chicken meatball recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Sticky Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 500 g (17.5 oz) Chicken mince
- 30 g (0.5 cups) Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Egg
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Garlic and ginger paste
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 tablespoon Garlic and ginger paste
- 0.5 tablespoon Cornflour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Put 500 g Chicken mince into a bowl along with 30 g Panko breadcrumbs, 1 Egg, 1 tablespoon Soy sauce and 1 teaspoon Garlic and ginger paste.
- Mix well to combine everything.
- Form the chicken mixture into 15 balls and put onto the lined baking sheet.
- Put into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoon Soy sauce, 2 tablespoon Sesame oil, 2 tablespoon Honey, 1 tablespoon Garlic and ginger paste and 0.5 tablespoon Cornflour (cornstarch) to a pan.
- Mix well and heat over a low heat for 3 minutes.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce and mix well to coat all of the balls.
Recipe Tips
- When rolling the meatballs, make sure you don't overwork them otherwise they will become tough. You want to make sure they are just rolled.
- When choosing chicken mince, try to go for the 93% lean rather than 99% lean which will result in dry meatballs.
- If you want to stop the meatballs from sticking to your hands when rolling them, try rubbing a bit of oil on your hands first.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Lita says
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! I couldn’t find chicken mince here in Chile, so I just blitzed up some chicken breast with the other meat balls ingredients, and it worked beautifully. Thank you!
Dannii Martin says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Casey says
My daughter would love these. They combine her favorite takeout Asian flavors with her other favorite thing - meatballs! Genius idea. Thanks for sharing.
dana says
Love this recipe! I'm all about chicken meatballs and these have so much flavor. The sauce is incredible!
Ashley says
This is such a delicious recipe! It's different from so many other meatball recipes and I'm obsessed. :)
Ann says
These look so yummy. Can't wait to try them. Thanks!
Bobby says
These meatballs are unbelievable. I served them with fried rice and it was a huge hit. Thank you!